Typical electric water heaters are constructed with one or two electric-powered heating elements to heat water in the water tank, depending on the size and utilization of the water heater. Each element is ordinarily mounted onto a side wall of the tank. Further, in designs incorporating two elements, the elements are typically mounted onto the tank at spaced separation from one another. There are a number of disadvantages associated with such constructions. Element malfunction is not easily detected and is also costly since monitoring devices are required in the overall design. Also, the monitoring devices themselves can malfunction and not detect element failure. In addition, it is often difficult to identify the source of a malfunction, which works to increase the time required for repair and/or replacement of a defective or malfunctioning part.
This invention has been developed in view of the foregoing to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.